A call for collectors

[Retronick]

Hey everyone, I'm currently writing for Fraggs Magazine (fraggs.net), and am starting to write a monthly feature on hardcore collectors. Each month we profile a collector and their collection of games, consoles, and assorted merchandise. We're going into things like how and when you started collecting; why you collect; long term plans for your collection; featured pieces, basic stuff.

If your interested, reply here and I'll get in contact with you.

There's no monetary compensation for participating, but you do get featured in a nationally circulated magazine about games and get some insane bragging rites as a result! You can even use a fake name! We don't care, we just wanna see your stuff.

Before anyone asks, I'm not trying to SPAM the boards, I just know that if you're like me, then you probably like to talk about your gear with friends, colleagues, and anyone who will listen.

Thanks in advance.

[buzz_n64]

I would definitely like to participate. 1,400+games, 80+(including variants) game systems, a Gamecube Kiosk display, childhood photo holding my NES that I got for Christmas.

[mobiusclimber]

I'd be more than willing to participate but I doubt I'm the sort of collector you're looking for. I probably have as many games as the next guy, but I couldn't tell you offhand how many, I don't give two shits about variants (unless there's added content, or LE, and then I usually only want the better version) and I'm not going for a full set of any system. I'm more of a casual hardcore collector. LOL

[Doonzmore]

I'm in. We'll keep in touch.

[todesengel]

I'd be up for participating as well but I don't have a huge collection like some people have. I've only got around 400 games across 17 systems so sadly I might not be as interesting to interview as most people.

[swlovinist]

I am interested, any info you want about my collection just let me know.

Here is a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWtl0yz4AJA

[Retronick]

I'd be more than willing to participate but I doubt I'm the sort of collector you're looking for. I probably have as many games as the next guy, but I couldn't tell you offhand how many, I don't give two shits about variants (unless there's added content, or LE, and then I usually only want the better version) and I'm not going for a full set of any system. I'm more of a casual hardcore collector. LOL


I'd be up for participating as well but I don't have a huge collection like some people have. I've only got around 400 games across 17 systems so sadly I might not be as interesting to interview as most people.

I'm in the same boat as you guys. 20 consoles, around 500 games, nothing crazy. There may yet be a place for people like us however, I need to run everything by the editor before I can commit to anyone's collection.

[Retronick]

I would definitely like to participate. 1,400+games, 80+(including variants) game systems, a Gamecube Kiosk display, childhood photo holding my NES that I got for Christmas.

That sounds awesome! I also like the nostalgic flair with the childhood photo in the same room (something I should do with my game room!). Have you got any pictures up any where?

[Emperor Megas]

I guess I wouldn't mind participating. I'm more of a 'hardcore-casual' gamer of 30+ years who's amassed a large collection over time, rather than an uber-collector who hunts down rare titles and box variants and stuff like that.

I'm an extremely frugal gamer, and almost never purchase games until the prices drop significantly. My back log is so large it wouldn't make sense to purchase launch releases because the price would have dropped by the time I got around to playing most of them anyway. I currently have about 2000 games, maybe 40 game systems, and I receive most of my consoles and about a third of swag as gifts, mostly from my other half. I used to have more, but lost lot of my older collection in a house fire about 8 years ago. :bawling:

I usually have game themed holidays and rack up lots of gaming goodies for Easter (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143114), Christmas (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=149532) and my birthday (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1720078&postcount=29). I don't own any complete sets for any systems, and don't want any. I only collect games that I actually would enjoy playing, or are of some interesting historical significance (to me). Like many here, I have a dedicated game room (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=144325), and a lot of game related merchandise, however I don't have crap stacked to the ceiling like a lot of avid collectors. Unlike most gamers today though, I don't play online, and don't spend an excessive amount of time on my hobby.

I do game with the wife a lot, and have a gaming set up at my job so I can pass the time on slow days. Like many, my collecting mainly centers around acquiring vintage games I wanted back in the day, but couldn't afford as a kid.

[VACRMH]

Sounds fun, I'd like to give it a shot :)

If anything it would give me a reason to clean the game room <_<

[Retronick]

I guess I wouldn't mind participating. I'm more of a 'hardcore-casual' gamer of 30+ years who's amassed a large collection over time, rather than an uber-collector who hunts down rare titles and box variants and stuff like that.

I'm an extremely frugal gamer, and almost never purchase games until the prices drop significantly. My back log is so large it wouldn't make sense to purchase launch releases because the price would have dropped by the time I got around to playing most of them anyway. I currently have about 2000 games, maybe 40 game systems, and I receive most of my consoles and about a third of swag as gifts, mostly from my other half. I used to have more, but lost lot of my older collection in a house fire about 8 years ago. :bawling:

I usually have game themed holidays and rack up lots of gaming goodies for Easter (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143114), Christmas (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=149532) and my birthday (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1720078&postcount=29). I don't own any complete sets for any systems, and don't want any. I only collect games that I actually would enjoy playing, or are of some interesting historical significance (to me). Like many here, I have a dedicated game room (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=144325), and a lot of game related merchandise, however I don't have crap stacked to the ceiling like a lot of avid collectors. Unlike most gamers today though, I don't play online, and don't spend an excessive amount of time on my hobby.

I do game with the wife a lot, and have a gaming set up at my job so I can pass the time on slow days. Like many, my collecting mainly centers around acquiring vintage games I wanted back in the day, but couldn't afford as a kid.

That is almost exactly my situation. I look for the games that I wanted the most in my youth and only hunt down REALLY rare stuff if it's something that I really want to own, and if I can find it for a reasonable price. Even if the collection is smaller, there could still be an awesome story behind it! I think even badass game rooms are worth mentioning (even if they aren't filled floor to ceiling with rare games and every variant of the N64).

[Retronick]

Sounds fun, I'd like to give it a shot :)

If anything it would give me a reason to clean the game room <_<

Fantastic! PM me with some info about your collection and we'll talk.

[buzz_n64]

That sounds awesome! I also like the nostalgic flair with the childhood photo in the same room (something I should do with my game room!). Have you got any pictures up any where?

The picture was taken in the living room, where I used to do all of my gaming. About pictures up, none of me on the wall, that would be weird. lol I do have some video game related art up and posters, but I try to keep those to a minimum, most are stored away in my closet.

[SamuraiSmurfette]

If you need a female gamer with somewhere between 4-5000 titles, merch, and action figures, count me in ^^

[tubeway]

Playin' the gender card. Niiice. ;)

I'm actually surprised this thread didn't get more of a stampede of people all trying to one-up eachother.

[Guy Bramsworth]

I wish I had something grand to show. I'm doing an unofficial collection, which means I'm trying to track down all the original first prints of obscure pirate/unofficial games for old consoles, i.e Pokemon Stadium on Genesis or Donkey Kong Country on NES/Famicom. So far my collection is only like 70 games though, takes a long time to track stuff. If I ever get to at least 200 or something maybe it will be something worthy of being called a collection :) Reaching any level of "completion" though I'm betting will be impossible.

[VACRMH]

Fantastic! PM me with some info about your collection and we'll talk.

PM Sent :)

[Retronick]

The picture was taken in the living room, where I used to do all of my gaming. About pictures up, none of me on the wall, that would be weird. lol I do have some video game related art up and posters, but I try to keep those to a minimum, most are stored away in my closet.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. Have you posted any pictures of your game room anywhere?

[Retronick]

Playin' the gender card. Niiice. ;)

I'm actually surprised this thread didn't get more of a stampede of people all trying to one-up eachother.

I'm sort of surprised too actually :D

[Retronick]

Currently waiting for the word from my editor on who's collection we're going to profile this issue. I'll let you all know once everything is said and done. Again, this is going to be a monthly piece so don't stress if you didn't make it this month.

Thanks to everyone who's applied so far!

[deltoidsteep]

I don't have a huuuge collection but I'm at about 750 games across ~30 consoles with plenty of game related collectible stuff. I do have photos if you're at all interested

[Retronick]

Alright,

After reviewing all the entrants for this month, we've elected to go with SamuraiSmurfette's collection for our first run. Again, from the sounds of it, we're making this a monthly feature, so don't panic if we spoke and your collection was not chosen.

Everyone who's posted in this thread is under consideration for next month's issue, so you guy's can expect to hear from me soon.

I'll post here once the issue is available for purchase in both hard and soft copies.

Thanks again everyone! I'll keep you posted.

[buzz_n64]

Cool news.

By the way, I have yet to photograph or make a video of my room, but I will do so soon.

[VACRMH]

Sounds good :) If anything it gave me a reason to clean up the game room so maybe now I can play more games in there :D

[lkermel]

Why not ? Sounds like fun ! :)
I've been collecting games for 20+ years now. Not a crazy-huge collection (nearly 3000 games and around 100 consoles). Most of it is in storage though, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to take tons of pics,..

[Retronick]

Hey Everyone! Thanks for all the submissions so far.

Before I get too into anything, I just wanted to tell you all that SamuraiSmurfette's feature is in the April issue of the magazine which just became available digitally. Did I also mention it's free? Check it out here: http://fraggs.net/issue-003-april-2011/

Also, I'm fairly certain we have collectors staked out for the May & June issues, but that doesn't mean we're finished by a long shot. If you've posted here your collection will be considered for publication in future issues, so don't despair.

Thanks to everyone once again and like I said, check out the magazine. It's free! You can also get a print copy by ordering through Fraggs.net, or hitting up one of the retailers listed on their website.

Thanks again!

[WoodyXP]

Sweet mag. I'm looking forward to next month's issue. :)

[Retronick]

Sweet mag. I'm looking forward to next month's issue. :)

Thanks!

We're still a pretty teensy operation, but we're experiencing fairly significant growth as of late, so that's not a permanent condition.

We'll get the next one out, sure to be a good one!

[Retronick]

Alright people,

We've got candidates selected for the next two months. Again, doesn't mean we're finished with this. If you've posted here we will hit you up for some pictures and a description if we haven't already.

Our next 2 hardcore collectors will be, swlovinist and buzz_n64. I'm not certain who's May & who's June, but they're both featured in the forthcoming issues of Fraggs.

[SpaceFlea]

OH OH... I'd be up for this as well. I have just over 3,600 complete games at the moment. and I've been averaging about 900-1,000 new games each year for the last few years, so it's increasing at quite a rampant pace. I'm currently in the process of putting up shelves in one of my guest rooms to accommodate as much as possible. The tiny picture that is my avatar shows the one wall currently finished (which, to my surprise, is only 1,500 of the games). I plan to make a video once I get everything up. I'm excited, they've all been boxed up for the last four years, and now I finally get to display them properly.

[Retronick]

OH OH... I'd be up for this as well. I have just over 3,600 complete games at the moment. and I've been averaging about 900-1,000 new games each year for the last few years, so it's increasing at quite a rampant pace. I'm currently in the process of putting up shelves in one of my guest rooms to accommodate as much as possible. The tiny picture that is my avatar shows the one wall currently finished (which, to my surprise, is only 1,500 of the games). I plan to make a video once I get everything up. I'm excited, they've all been boxed up for the last four years, and now I finally get to display them properly.

Wow, those are nice damn shelves. You'll most likely hear from me in the coming months :D.

Did you check out our latest issue at Fraggs.net?

[SpaceFlea]

Wow, those are nice damn shelves. You'll most likely hear from me in the coming months :D.

Did you check out our latest issue at Fraggs.net?

I only had a chance to breeze through it once, primarily to check out the collector profile, but plan to check it out again when the opportunity arrises. At quick glance though, I did appreciate the MK timeline - it was a nice touch.

[Retronick]

I only had a chance to breeze through it once, primarily to check out the collector profile, but plan to check it out again when the opportunity arrises. At quick glance though, I did appreciate the MK timeline - it was a nice touch.

Very cool,

I'll keep you posted.

[wingzrow]

I only have 300 games, not sure if that counts as a MAJOR collection or not, but it's all high quality stuff.

what do you think would qualify?

EDIT: here's a picture, hope you don't mind but I had to take separate pictures and crop it together. The room isn't big enough to walk backwards and take a whole shot of it.

http://i53.tinypic.com/14wu82w.jpg

[Retronick]

I only have 300 games, not sure if that counts as a MAJOR collection or not, but it's all high quality stuff.

what do you think would qualify?

EDIT: here's a picture, hope you don't mind but I had to take separate pictures and crop it together. The room isn't big enough to walk backwards and take a whole shot of it.

http://i53.tinypic.com/14wu82w.jpg

If it's a quality collection I think we'll go below 1,000. There's a few people on here that I still need to respond to that are in the same boat. It's very early in the life of both this article and the magazine itself, so we'll see how things work in the near future.

[Griking]

I just checked out your website and magazine. Is there a way to download the first two issues?

[calistarwind]

Really nice magazine and articles. I really enjoy seeing other female gamers collections, when I started collecting in the mid-nineties, no one believed a girl could like games. SamuraiSmurfette, you have an incredible collection, a great accomplishment.

I also enjoyed the Arcade article. They are certainly going extinct.

I am going to post some of my pictures shortly. Some collections on here are quite nice and I have come to call this website home.

[Retronick]

I just checked out your website and magazine. Is there a way to download the first two issues?

That's a good question. Let me get back to you with a link.

[Retronick]

Really nice magazine and articles. I really enjoy seeing other female gamers collections, when I started collecting in the mid-nineties, no one believed a girl could like games. SamuraiSmurfette, you have an incredible collection, a great accomplishment.

I also enjoyed the Arcade article. They are certainly going extinct.

I am going to post some of my pictures shortly. Some collections on here are quite nice and I have come to call this website home.

That's really cool. I'm glad the magazine and-more specifically, the collectors feature struck a positive chord :D.

Can't wait to see your pictures.

[Retronick]

Why not ? Sounds like fun ! :)
I've been collecting games for 20+ years now. Not a crazy-huge collection (nearly 3000 games and around 100 consoles). Most of it is in storage though, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to take tons of pics,..

Do you have any shots of your game room around that I could look at?

[calistarwind]

Can't wait to see your pictures.

My pictures are now posted under the thread My Game Collection 2011. :)

[Flacko]

I started to get the collecting "illness" from my best friend, when I went to UK and saw his room full of games and consoles. I loved what I saw and he gave me the reason to also collect. I wanted to get the retro consoles as they are rare to get and some well-known games. I cannot sell games as it feels weird to me to sell them what you paid for. I never sell good games. I also love to collect gaming related mercandise and toys. I have around 500+ games and probably 20+ consoles. I started to collect in 2006. I sometimes wen't a bit too far, collecting too much stuff because they were cheap. Now I got over this bad habit and I collect only games I really want. Before I collected everything what was game related.

You can see some of my stuff here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.242296491689.181614.665736689&l=156a8a00e7

kinda crappy collection if you ask me, it's hard to get original MD games here. Lately, I got 12 original MD games by pure luck! It only costed us 10 eur for 13 games (1 was pirate)

-

" I really enjoy seeing other female gamers collections, when I started collecting in the mid-nineties, no one believed a girl could like games."


This stuff is here rarity too, ppl always think im a guy but im not and then they go like wtf a lady and loves games that much and collecting them?

[calistarwind]

This stuff is here rarity too, ppl always think im a guy but im not and then they go like wtf a lady and loves games that much and collecting them?

It is good to see you enjoy collecting, keep at it.

[SegaAges]

I might as well toss my hat into the ring if you feel the urge. I am a collector in Vegas. I have pictures below from when I used to live in Nebraska (those pictures were taken when I had about 1200 or so games). I am up to about 1550 games now (give or take a few). That includes stuff from the 2600 on through the 360 and my arcade games as well (I have 1 cab that is about 95% complete in my eyes, everything works great on it, and another cab I am in the process of converting to a Dreamcast arcade cab).

[Emperor Megas]

I don't mean to derail or anything, but you're drawings are fantastic, Flacko. I'm assuming the character portfolio in your signature is your work. They're really awesome.

[kainemaxwell]

Hmm, K-Mart carries it. Gotta see if my store has it when I go into work next. Checked out the latest issue and love it. Why are the pages for buying a single issue and subscription blank?

[Retronick]

I just checked out your website and magazine. Is there a way to download the first two issues?


Hmm, K-Mart carries it. Gotta see if my store has it when I go into work next. Checked out the latest issue and love it. Why are the pages for buying a single issue and subscription blank?

Right now the Fraggs website is a bit of a mess. We're in the process of redoing it, but it's taking longer than expected. Those edits should be in some time in the coming week, and the problem rectified. PM with your email and I can send you PDFs of the previous 2 issues if you'd like.

[Retronick]

I just checked out your website and magazine. Is there a way to download the first two issues?

New website just went up today!

Here are the links to get the back issues of the mag: http://fraggs.net/?page_id=27

[Sammi]

I'm excited to see so many interested!

(I'm Sammi - the assistant editor of Fraggs Magazine).

As RetroNick has mentioned, we have candidates for May & June issues already, but we are in search of more still! The name of the feature is "Hoarders: Extreme Collectors" so we're focusing more on collectors with a large amount of games & consoles. That being said, if you have a collection that has one focus, we'd be interested as well. For example: if you have a complete collection for a particular console, or have a collection of just pirates, or just rares, etc - we're definitely interested :D

Feel free to continue to message RetroNick with any of your questions, but I'll be here, too, if you have anything Nick can't answer.

As Nick has pointed out, you can view the website at fraggs.net. There, you can view some of our reviews, news, back issues and send emails to staff. If you have ideas for stuff you'd like to see in the mag, you can always email me at sammi@fraggs.net

:D Great collections, guys & girls <3

[Retronick]

Good news and bad news everybody.

Fraggs Magazine has officially stopped their monthly circulation, and will now produce a weekly mag featuring sales charts, a top 10, and a few reviews. It's a good direction for the magazine, but, sadly the Hoarders feature was cut.

I'd like to thank everyone who shared their stories and collections with me, and who showed an interest in being a part of Fraggs. You all remind me of why I started collecting myself, and I really do appreciate it.

All of this was not in vain. The two interviews I conducted that were never printed will be featured on my blog. Other collectors I haven't interviewed yet may also be featured. Some of these stories are just too grand not to share and I need to get back to regularly updating my poor neglected blog.

Again, thank you for the interest, and we'll see where everything goes from here.

Nick

[Retronick]

As promised, swlovinist's interview is posted here: http://www.retronick.com/2011/09/hoarders-stories-of-extreme-collectors.html

Check out John's collection just in time for the Portland Retro Gaming Expo!

Next up? buzz_n64 gets his due.

[OldSkoolBrian]

I would like to participate.. If you are interested check out my page on Youtube at www.youtube.com/user/oldskoolbrian
Thanks

[HYB]

Sounds like a fun thing. Too bad I don't have anything grand to show either. around 320 cib games and some castlevania swag and a bit of merch. I'm a PAL (female) collector though if that's of any interest.

[slapdash]

Are back issues (print) available? The site had some issues.

[Retronick]

Are back issues (print) available? The site had some issues.

That's a really good question, but one that I don't readily have the answer for. Let me get back to you on that.

[Retronick]

Sounds like a fun thing. Too bad I don't have anything grand to show either. around 320 cib games and some castlevania swag and a bit of merch. I'm a PAL (female) collector though if that's of any interest.

Hey you never know! Have you got pictures of your collection up anywhere?

[Retronick]

Finally! buzz_n64 gets his due as his interview goes up on retronick.com. I know it's not a magazine, but his collection is still out there for the world to see.

Check out his massive amount of NES games and his consoles converted into tissue boxes here: http://www.retronick.com/2011/10/hoarders-stories-of-extreme-collectors.html

[Retronick]

Hey!

After a long time of keep this dormant, I've decided to bring by my collector feature on Retronick.com (formerly in Fraggs).

If any previous posters on this thread are still interested in having their collections featured, drop me a line here.

This is ultimately how it'll look: http://www.retronick.com/hoarders-stories-of-extreme-collectors-john-hancock/

Thanks!

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

I've got about 800 games on 22 consoles, but nothing really rare and spectacular, the regular popular stuff you'd expect. I got into it cuz I watched a few AVGN videos 2 years ago and had a few little collections of old systems and just started buying more old games.

[Daria]

I dunno, I never got into the whole "looking at other people's collections" thing. With some extreme exceptions it's all pretty much just games on a shelf.

[Emperor Megas]

I dunno, I never got into the whole "looking at other people's collections" thing. With some extreme exceptions it's all pretty much just games on a shelf.I'm a lot more interested in 'how' people store and display their games than what and how many games people own. That's why I like looking at other people's collections. I think a lot of gamers/collectors may feel that way as well.

Storage is almost always a factor with larger collections, and I like to see how creative some people while still being practical. Sometimes it inspires me to get more organized, or give me ideas I may not have thought of sooner.

[ProjectCamaro]

I'm a lot more interested in 'how' people store and display their games than what and how many games people own. That's why I like looking at other people's collections. I think a lot of gamers/collectors may feel that way as well.

Storage is almost always a factor with larger collections, and I like to see how creative some people while still being practical. Sometimes it inspires me to get more organized, or give me ideas I may not have thought of sooner.

This.


Some people have some really cool setups and I like to look at the, and quite honestly steal ideas for my game room.

[Steven]

I'm a lot more interested in 'how' people store and display their games than what and how many games people own. That's why I like looking at other people's collections. I think a lot of gamers/collectors may feel that way as well.

Storage is almost always a factor with larger collections, and I like to see how creative some people while still being practical. Sometimes it inspires me to get more organized, or give me ideas I may not have thought of sooner.


Yeah, storage is cool. For me it's just the presentation and the passion. I love reading an appreciative collector's memories and fondest moments in their collecting journey.

[MetalFRO]

What's your minimum threshold of stuff to be considered for the feature? I'd love to do something like that, in part because I collect totally cross-platform, and have a fair number of CIB games, as well as owning a large number of consoles. I wouldn't wager a guess as to how many games I have currently, but the last 3 years has seen my collection balloon due to falling prices on used stuff in some markets, especially PSP, PS2, and Xbox.

[Mr Mort]

I'm a lot more interested in 'how' people store and display their games than what and how many games people own. That's why I like looking at other people's collections. I think a lot of gamers/collectors may feel that way as well.

Storage is almost always a factor with larger collections, and I like to see how creative some people while still being practical. Sometimes it inspires me to get more organized, or give me ideas I may not have thought of sooner.

Agreed. I'm fascinated to see how people organize and display their collections, more so than the contents of the collection itself. It's especially interesting to get the perspective from folks on the other side of the pond or from different cultures.

[Retronick]

Couldn't agree with you guys more! My interest are in 1, sheer quantity, but, more importantly, how they're stored, and how they have their rig setup. A collection doesn't have to be huge to be impressive. Heck, you could have a warehouse full of pallets loaded with games and it would be less interesting than someone who has painstakingly gone to the trouble of organizing, cleaning up, and displaying their stuff.

That said, to answer various questions here, I'm willing to consider collections of any size. Just have something interesting, a unique story to tell, and a nicely organized and/or unique setup :).

I got one response via PM that I'm going to engage, but link to an image of your rig/collection here and review the previous posts and we'll talk soon! Ideally, I'd like to do this monthly.

Thanks in advance!

[Retronick]

Agreed. I'm fascinated to see how people organize and display their collections, more so than the contents of the collection itself. It's especially interesting to get the perspective from folks on the other side of the pond or from different cultures.

Glad to see you around these parts, buddy ;D. I've seen your rig in person and we should talk about having your stuff on if you're interested.

[Retronick]

TOTALLY neglected to post RVGF Steve's Hoarder's article here. Who wants to be featured next?

http://www.retronick.com/hoarders-stories-of-extreme-collectors-rvgf-steve/

[Steven]

TOTALLY neglected to post RVGF Steve's Hoarder's article here. Who wants to be featured next?

http://www.retronick.com/hoarders-stories-of-extreme-collectors-rvgf-steve/

Thanks again Retronick for being so generous as to host me. I had a blast with the interview :)

To everyone else, if you feel your collection is worth showing off, then go for it. It is a lot of fun and he's an awesome guy to work with.